Ex-Bolivian president warns of overregulation of social media

A Twitter logo is seen on a portable device in this photo illustration on November 15, 2017. Photo: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Former Bolivian president Jorge Fernando Quiroga had a warning Monday for U.S. legislators rushing to regulate the big social media companies:

"If you can regulate it in the U.S, you can regulate it anywhere... Whatever happens here can be applied and interpreted in very pernicious ways. Think of us [other countries] when you’re making rules here."

— Jorge Fernando Quiroga, speaking at the NewCo Shift Forum in San Francisco

Why it matters: Political activists have long used social media, which has been especially helpful in regimes where the media is controlled by the state. However, overly zealous regulation in the U.S. in response to the Russian meddling could give a green light to authoritarian regimes to clamp down on social media within their own borders